AT&T will pay $18.25 million to settle an...
AT&T will pay $18.25 million to settle an FCC investigation into improper billing of the Telecommunications Relay Service fund, the agency said Tuesday. The Enforcement Bureau was investigating whether AT&T improperly billed the fund for IP Relay calls without verifying…
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customer eligibility (http://bit.ly/109q7Fk). AT&T will reimburse the TRS Fund $7 million, which includes interest; it will also make a “voluntary contribution” of $11.25 million to the U.S. Treasury, and implement a “robust compliance plan” that includes new operating procedures, revamped employee training, and periodic reporting requirements, an agency spokesman said. “Today’s settlement represents the fourth FCC enforcement action to date against Internet-based TRS providers, resulting in payments of nearly $40 million back to the Fund and the U.S. Treasury,” said Chairman Julius Genachowski in a statement. “The steps taken today will not only ensure the integrity of the program, but also send a strong signal to providers that we will not tolerate abuse of the system.” AT&T agreed to implement the compliance plan within 60 days, and to file compliance reports in 1.5, 12 and 24 months. “We and others in the industry brought the issue of customer misuse of IP relay to the attention of the FCC,” AT&T spokesman Marty Richter said. “While we disagree with some of the FCC’s positions underlying this consent decree, we decided that the best course is to resolve the matter and move forward."